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Kingston Library - Activities and Events
Kingston Library - Activities and Events
National Libraries Day Saturday 4 February
Activities for children
Chatterbooks from 10.30 to 11.30am. A monthly reading group for children aged 7 - 9 with an adult. This group meets every month. Contact Kate Priestley for more information by emailing kate.priestley@rbk.kingston.gov.uk.
Activities for adults
Author event from 11am to 12noon. Local author Shahrukh Afsheen will be talking about his book “Under Five Flags”, a memoir of WW2 in Burma, riots and rupture in India, and the revolution in Iran.
Rhyme and Storytimes
All the sessions get very busy and have limited spaces so please get there early.
Mondays Rhyme and Storytime sessions for babies, toddlers and under-fives 10.15am - 10.45am. Tickets available on the day. Please note - no rhymetimes will be held on Bank Holidays.
Mondays 11.15am - 11.45am Rhymetime for babies, toddlers and under-fives in the cafe at the Rose Theatre. Check with Rose or Kingston Library to find out when sessions are taking place as other theatre activities can mean sessions are cancelled. There is a limit of 50 buggies allowed in the Rhyme Time area. This is big and loud!
Thursdays Stories and craft for under fives 10.15am to 11am. Tickets available on the day.
Adult Readers' Group
Last Thursday in every month from 7pm to 8pm.
History of Kingston Library
Kingston Library celebrated its centenary in the current building in May 2003. Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish/American millionaire and philanthropist donated half the building costs and officially opened the new purpose built library on 11 May.
He was so impressed with what he saw that he then donated the rest of the building costs. Externally, there have been few changes to the Queen Anne style building.
The fragment of pillar at the front is alleged to have come from King John's Palace. The interior was extensively renovated and refurbished in 2008.
The shelving in the Study Room is part of the original fixtures and fittings and it, along with the building itself, is Listed by English Heritage.
The entrance lobby has a memorial plaque to those officers and men from the local East Surrey Regiment who fell in the Boer War and there is a fine stained glass window commemorating the same event.